The cast and crew of Stranger Things discuss recreating the 1980s
One of the many reasons Netflix’s Stranger Things became a hit is because it recreates so perfectly the look and feel of the 1980s. Co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer know how important the tiniest detail is to maintain authenticity, and hired the best people they could find to make that happen.
Production designer Chris Trujillo and his team were tasked with making the Duffer Brothers’ vision a reality, and earned 18 Emmy nominations for their trouble. Now, Netflix has released a video exploring how he and the crew brought that world to life, with notes from some of the stars as well:
Okay, first of all, Noah Schnapp, the young actor who plays Will Byers, is clearly going through a voice drop. But back to the production…
“As far as Chris and his department, we leave them completely alone, and then we walk into these incredible sets,” said Stranger Things co-creator Matt Duffer. Production Designer Chris Trujillo recalls that he and the Duffer Brothers “started on a very similar page” in terms of how the show needed to look, and from there, trust bloomed:
"We discussed all of the classics that are very obvious: your Goonies and your Spielberg films. Then, it got really exciting for me when we started talking about Klute, Silkwood — these other darker, little grittier American movies."
In season 2, Trujillo and his team needed to bring a larger and much scarier villain to the screen: the Shadow Monster, together with the more evolved Demogorgons.
"From the very beginning of Season 2, we were discussing the shadow monster and all of these big, supernatural elements. It definitely got bigger. There was a little more spectacle, the danger got a little bit broader and scarier."
Still, Stranger Things isn’t all about the Upside Down and the monsters trying to cross over into our dimension. On a show like this, everything from the wallpaper to the candy wrappers has to be just right. According to executive producer Shawn Levy, “[that] requires thousands of specific decisions: that sheet, that cassette tape on that bedroom dresser.” Set decorators like Jess Royal are indispensable here.
Stranger Things season 3 is currently in production. We’ll likely see it sometime next year.
Next: Stranger Things star confirms that [SPOILER] is dead in season 3
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h/t Deadline